sV- 


Working  in  Peace 
and  Harmony 


Address  delivered  November  5,  1921,  before 
the  Pennsylvania  Square  Club  of  Philadel- 
phia, by  Elisha  Lee,  Vice-President,  Eastern 
Region,  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System. 


Mr.  President,  Members  and  Guests 
of  the 

Pennsylvania  Square  Club  of  Philadelphia: 

* | * ONIGHT  you  have  me  at  a distinct  disad- 
* vantage,  for  I have  not  the  honor  of  being 
a member  of  your  ancient  fraternity.  Just 
why  I have  never  become  affiliated  with  one 
of  your  lodges  I cannot  say,  for  among  rail- 
road men  Masonry  seems  to  be  magnetic.  In 
my  twenty-nine  years  of  service  with  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  System,  1 have  been 
associating  with  Masons  in  all  departments 
of  the  railroad,  and  I have  always  had  a very 
high  regard  for  the  organization,  based  on  the 
high  standards  of  manhood  its  membership 
displays. 

You  can  therefore  readily  appreciate  the 
pleasure  it  gave  me  when  your  President,  Mr. 
Jones,  invited  me  to  address  you  this  evening 
and  I found  that  my  engagements  would  per- 
mit me  to  accept. 

These  are  busy  times  for  all  of  us,  and  I 
always  have  a feeling  of  deepest  regret  when, 
on  being  invited  to  speak  at  a meeting  of 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  employes,  and  espe- 
cially employes  of  the  Eastern  Region,  I have 
to  reply  with  that  stereotyped  expression — 
“owing  to  previous  engagements  I find  it  im- 
possible for  me  to  be  present,”  and  so  on. 

So,  while  I am  unable  to  meet  you  on  the 
level  of  masons,  1 am  sure  that  for  the 
remainder  of  the  evening  we  can  fraternize 
as  brothers  in  a lodge  of  “Free  and  Accepted 
— Railroad  Men,”  working  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Grand  Lodge — The  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  System. 


3 


While  the  large  majority  of  those  here  this 
evening  are  Pennsylvania  Railroad  people,  I 
notice  in  your  By-Laws  that  Masons  employed 
by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System,  the 
American  Railway  Express  Company,  the 
Pullman  Company  and  affiliated  companies 
are  also  eligible  to  membership.  If  my  re- 
marks are  addressed  at  times  to  employes  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  I trust  you  will 
understand  that  being  an  officer  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  I speak  perforce  as  a Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  man.  I fully  realize  that 
the  work  of  the  employes  of  the  Express 
Company  and  the  Pullman  Company  is  very 
similar  in  nature  to  that  of  the  railroad  man. 
My  remarks,  therefore,  will  apply  with  equal 
force  to  them  concerning  their  relations  to 
their  fellow-workers  in  the  Express  or  Pull- 
man employ,  as  well  as  to  their  associates  in 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad. 

Similarity  in  Organization 

In  looking  over  a printed  program  for  the 
month’s  meetings  of  one  of  the  Masonic 
lodges  in  Philadelphia,  I observed  that  the 
lodge  appeared  to  be  organized  for  the  pur- 
pose of  conducting  its  affairs  on  much  the 
same  plan  as  our  railroad  is  organized  for 
serving  the  public. 

In  the  railroad  we  have  Grand  Officers; 
they  are  the  System  executives  here  at  Phila- 
delphia— the  President  and  the  administrative 
Vice-Presidents  in  charge,  respectively,  of 
operating,  traffic,  finance,  accounting  and  real 
estate,  purchasing  and  insurance.  Under 
these  officers  we  have  five  subordinate 
“lodges,”  represented  by  the  four  Regions  of 
our  Railroad  System  and  the  Altoona  Works. 
For  each  of  these  “lodges”  we  have  a Wor- 
shipful Master — the  Regional  Vice-President — 


with  his  Senior  and  Junior  Wardens — the 
General  Manager  and  Assistant  General  Man- 
ager— so  on  down  the  line  in  practically  the 
same  form  as  your  lodges  are  officered. 

I,  of  course,  know  that  Free  Masonry  is  an 
institution  of  very  great  antiquity,  yet  it  came 
as  a distinct  surprise  when  I read  in  that 
announcement  to  which  1 just  referred  that 
this  year  in  which  we  are  now  living  is  the 
Masonic  year  5921.  So,  Free  Masonry  is  four 
thousand  years  older  than  the  Christian  era. 

Masonry  is  a greater  living  force  in  the 
world  today  than  ever  before  in  its  history. 

Our  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System,  which 
I have  likened  to  a Grand  Lodge,  is  but 
seventy-six  years  old — a mere  infant,  as  it 
were — yet  this  infant  is  passing  through  a 
period  of  discontent  and  dissatisfaction  which, 
as  I have  been  told,  cannot  exist  and  never 
did  exist  in  your  fraternity. 

Now,  why  is  it?  What  is  back  of  your 
society  which  enables  it  to  “carry  on” 
throughout  nearly  six  thousand  years  without 
any  discord? 

Working  Together 

In  a booklet  entitled  “The  Science  of  Ma- 
sonry,” which  is  in  the  library  of  your  Grand 
Lodge  at  the  Masonic  Temple,  on  Filbert 
Street,  one  of  the  outstanding  features  is  the 
phrase  “Peace  and  Harmony.”  If  that  is  your 
guide,  and  you  are  continuously  striving  with 
that  as  a goal,  allowing  nothing  to  be  injected 
into  your  work  or  the  workings  of  your 
lodges  which  would  destroy  the  peace  and 
harmony  of  a well  organized  and  properly 
managed  lodge,  then  I do  not  wonder  at  the 
present  high  standing  you  have  attained  in 
the  world. 

The  writer  of  the  booklet  continued:  “When 

5 


a company  of  brethren  are  dwelling  together 
in  peace  and  harmony,  as  every  lodge  of  Free 
Masons  should  dwell,  then,  like  will  draw 
like  and  every  piece  of  Masonry  material  in 
the  community  will  be  drawn  to  the  lodge,  as 
steel  is  drawn  to  a magnet.” 

Therein  lies  the  gist  of  what  is  uppermost 
in  my  mind  now,  and  which  has  been  ever 
since  I was  General  Manager — or  as  you 
would  call  it  in  fraternal  language.  Senior 
Warden — of  that  portion  of  this  railroad  on 
which  you  are  all  employed. 

I am  striving  with  all  my  power  to  build 
up  a lodge  of  railroad  men  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  who  will  work  together  with 
the  management  in  peace  and  harmony  all  the 
time.  In  this  I am  not  alone. 

If  you,  the  members  of  the  Masonic  Frater- 
nity, could  form  the  magnetic  power  to  draw 
unto  yourselves  in  the  railroad  field  those  who 
can  and  are  willing  to  work  in  peace  and 
harmony,  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System 
would,  in  less  time  than  one  can  imagine, 
stand  out  in  as  bold  relief  among  the  rail- 
roads of  the  country  as  the  Masonic  Frater- 
nity does  among  the  secret  societies  of  the 
world. 


Honor  in  Railroading 

And  why  shouldn’t  we?  Why  shouldn’t,  for 
instance,  the  employes  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  be  paid  as  high  wages  as  other  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States  for  performing  the 
same  kind  of  work?  Or  why  shouldn’t  they 
work  under  just  as  favorable  conditions  as 
any  one,  whether  in  the  railroad  or  the  indus- 
trial field?  Why  shouldn’t  railroading  be  just 
as  pleasant  an  occupation  and  as  satisfactory 
or  as  honorable  as  working  elsewhere? 

It  should  be,  and  it  is  within  your  power 


6 


to  make  it  so.  There  is  no  one-sided  way, 
however,  of  attaining  that  goal.  The  man- 
agement and  the  employes  must,  in  striving 
for  it,  work  in  peace  and  harmony  with  each 
other. 

Advancement  by  Merit 

To  most  of  you  railroading  is  your  life  work. 
You  entered  the  service,  as  most  of  our  higher 
officers  did,  at  the  very  bottom  and  have  since 
been  striving  to  go  upward  in  the  ranks. 
Promotion  comes  rather  slowly  at  times,  but, 
nevertheless,  surely  for  the  one  who  is  pre- 
pared for  the  next  step  above. 

When  I statted  railroading  it  seemed  as 
though  every  man  on  the  railroad  regarded 
himself  as  a potential  general  manager  or 
president.  If  the  young  railroader  then  wanted 
to,  it  was  within  his  power  to  work  up  to 
almost  any  position.  That  spark  of  ambition 
has  been  greatly  dimmed,  I am  sorry  to  say, 
during  recent  years.  While  I have  no  desire 
to  take  issue  with  the  present  methods  of 
labor  unions,  one  of  the  most  unfortunate 
things  about  some  of  them  is  the  destruction 
of  the  ambition  for  advancement  and  the  in- 
culcation into  the  minds  of  the  membership 
of  the  principle  that  one  should  not  try  to 
surpass  his  fellow-worker. 

Don’t  lose  sight  of  that  word  promotion. 
You  may  talk  about  seniority  rules  and  all 
that,  and  with  all  things  equal  1 have  no  fault 
to  find  with  seniority  rules.  Don’t  let  that 
blind  you,  however,  to  the  fact  that  unless  you 
are  prepared  for  the  job  ahead  of  you,  when, 
through  seniority  rules  you  are  advanced  to 
it,  sooner  or  later  you  will  be  unable  to  carry 
properly  the  load  placed  upon  your  shoulders. 
The  company,  then,  for  which  you  work,  will 
be  the  sufferer.  This  the  public  will  be  quick 


7 


to  discover  and  it  will  very  soon  affect  you 
personally. 

I wish  it  were  possible  to  have  a speedy 
return  of  that  former  feeling  of  pride  in  being 
a Pennsylvania  Railroad  employe.  It  is  true 
that  some  of  us  still  have  it,  and  to  those  I 
want  to  say,  for  your  own  good,  let  that  feel- 
ing radiate  from  you  in  all  lines,  so  that  its 
influence  will  be  felt  by  those  with  whom  you 
daily  come  in  contact. 

Within  the  memory  of  a large  majority  of 
you  present  here  this  evening,  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  was  looked  up  to  as  an  ideal 
public  service  institution.  In  the  transporta- 
tion world  its  service  was  the  standard.  Its 
policies,  discipline,  service,  foresight,  engi- 
neering skill,  and  progressive  ideas  were  mat- 
ters of  public  discussion.  There  was  then  the 
keenest  interest  displayed  by  every  one  in  his 
work,  regardless  of  his  position.  Each  felt  a 
certain  amount  of  responsibility  for  maintain- 
ing the  reputation  of  the  company  which  gave 
him  employment. 

Pride  in  Pennsylvania  Railroad 

Have  you  ever  stopped  to  consider  just 
what  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System  is  to- 
day? What  it  means  to  be  connected  with  it? 

Do  you  realize  that  when  you  say  you  are 
a Pennsylvania  Railroad  man  you  are  a per- 
sonal representative  of  a two  billion  dollar 
corporation?  Do  you  fully  realize  just  what 
that  means?  It  means  that  the  property  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System,  which 
takes  in  the  right  of  way,  buildings,  bridges, 
tracks,  yards,  terminals,  engines  and  cars,  cost 
over  two  billions  of  dollars  to  produce. 

That  money,  too,  came  entirely  from  the 
savings  of  other  people,  the  great  majority  of 
whom  are  persons  of  moderate  means  just 

8 


like  yourselves.  Don’t  lose  sight  of  that, 
which  carries  with  it  also  the  fact  that  their 
property  has  been  placed  in  your  hands  to 
operate,  which  is  a great  responsibility. 

Aside  from  that,  doesn’t  it  give  you  a feeling 
of  pride  to  know  that  you  personally  repre- 
sent one  of  the  world’s  largest  enterprises? 
It  does  to  me,  and  1 know  it  does  to  you. 

This  railroad  has  at  present  over  207,000 
personal  representatives  who  are  working 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  thir- 
teen states  in  the  Union,  in  which  live  half 
the  population  of  the  country.  That  is  a 
stupendous  statement  to  contemplate,  yet  it 
is  true. 

Each  of  these  persons  is  a salesman  for  this 
two  billion  dollar  institution,  which  does 
nearly  two  million  dollars’  worth  of  business 
every  day. 

Each  has  within  his  grasp  the  power  of 
establishing  a world-wide  reputation  not  only 
for  himself,  but  also  for  the  railroad  of  which 
he  is  a part. 

The  public  is  observing  your  every  move, 
whether  on  or  off  duty.  With  each  perform- 
ing his  assigned  task  with  a genuine  feeling 
of  pride  in  his  work,  the  day  will  soon  return 
when  the  ideal  for  which  every  other  railroad 
or  industrial  establishment  will  strive  will  be 
the  standard  set  by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
System. 


Things  to  Think  About 

Last  year  the  gross  earnings  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  System  were  12  per  cent, 
of  that  of  all  Class  1 railroads.  We  rendered 
15.7  per  cent,  of  the  passenger  service  based 
on  the  unit  of  passenger  miles,  and  of  the 
revenue  ton  miles  of  freight  carried  by  all 
of  the  railroads  of  the  country,  our  propor- 


9 


tion  was  10.9  per  cent.  We  own  over  12  per 
cent,  of  all  the  freight  cars  of  the  country; 
we  have  15,500  separate  industrial  sidings  on 
our  lines.  There  are  over  2,500  freight  or 
passenger  agencies  on  the  System. 

These  are  things  to  think  about  when  you 
consider  whether  or  not  it  is  an  honor  to  be 
connected  with  this  big  company. 

We  are  a real  factor  in  the  welfare  and 
happiness  of  the  country,  and  when  you 
started  railroading  you  took  upon  yourself  a 
grave  responsibility.  You  accepted  a position 
and  thereby  signified  your  willingness  to 
assist  in  advancing  the  best  interest  of  the 
United  States. 

Make  Every  Effort  Count 

Now  what  do  you  get  from  this  company 
about  which  1 have  just  spoken?  Unless  you 
put  into  it  your  best  you  cannot  get  the  best 
out  of  it. 

Our  wages  do  not  come  from  the  stockhold- 
ers. They  come  directly  from  the  people 
whom  we  serve,  and  the  only  way  to  sustain 
good  wages  is  to  make  every  hour  of  work 
more  productive  than  it  is  any  other  place. 

At  the  present  time,  out  of  every  dollar 
received  by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System 
for  freight  and  passenger  service  rendered, 
practically  one-half  is  paid  over  to  the  em- 
ployes in  wages.  Our  total  payroll  for  Sep- 
tember alone  was  twenty-six  and  one-half 
millions  of  dollars.  That  means  that  over  one 
million  dollars  were  paid  out  in  wages  each 
working  day  of  the  month. 

In  order  to  reach  the  highest  standard  of 
pay,  there  is  only  one  way,  and  that  is  to  raise 
your  work  to  the  highest  standard  of  effi- 
ciency and  make  your  every  effort  productive 
of  the  greatest  amount  of  service. 


10 


Now  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  we  have 
just  set  up  a plan  of  employe  representation 
by  which  the  employes  and  the  management 
can  get  together  and  in  peace  and  harmony 
decide  all  differences  which  may  arise  between 
them.  Under  this  plan,  the  employes  are 
given  an  equal  voice  and  voting  power  with 
the  management  in  deciding  all  questions 
affecting  their  own  welfare. 

This  plan  is,  to  my  mind,  as  it  should  be, 
because  recourse  to  force  never  permanently 
settles  anything.  Yet  it  has  been  contemptu- 
ously asserted  by  some  that  the  efforts  the 
management  has  been  putting  forth  to  realize 
this  ideal  are  merely  for  effect  and  that  the 
whole  thing  is  “a  lot  of  bunk.” 

Management  Is  Sincere 

How  can  1 get  the  employes  of  our  railroad 
to  know  the  feeling  in  my  breast  concerning 
their  welfare  if  the  most  important  things  1 
say  to  them  in  printed  or  spoken  words  are 
characterized  as  “bunk”? 

Pardon  a personal  note.  Those  of  you  who 
know  me  personally  I am  sure  do  not  doubt 
my  sincerity.  You  know  that  the  last  thing 
to  enter  my  mind  would  be  to  try  and  put 
something  over  on  you,  as  the  saying  is. 
There  is  nothing  in  our  plan  of  employe  repre- 
sentation which  is  antagonistic  to  any  institu- 
tion, be  it  a labor  union  or  an  organization 
such  as  yours.  We  have  stated  times  over 
that  the  management  is  not  trying  to  settle 
a quarrel  with  its  employes,  for  no  quarrel 
exists.  We  are  endeavoring,  to  the  best  of 
our  ability,  to  provide  a means  whereby  there 
will  be  no  occasion  for  a quarrel  to  arise. 

To  be  sure,  there  will  at  times  be  differences 
of  opinion  between  the  management  and  the 
men.  That  is  but  natural  where  you  have  so 


11 


large  a body  of  men  to  deal  with,  but  among 
reasonable  men  differences  can  be  adjusted 
without  quarreling,  and  that  is  precisely  what 
our  representation  plan  is  designed  to  bring 
about. 


All  Pulling  Together 

The  success  of  the  Railroad,  the  Express  or 
the  Pullman  Company  means  your  success. 
All  the  teachings  that  try  to  represent  to  the 
employes  that  their  interests  are  antagonistic 
to  those  of  the  management  are  absolutely 
wrong.  A railroad  must  pay  its  men  out  of 
its  earnings,  and  those  earnings  depend  on 
the  good-will  of  the  public  it  serves.  Unless 
a railroad  is  prosperous,  good  wages  and  ad- 
vantageous terms  and  conditions  of  employ- 
ment cannot  be  had. 

The  product  of  our  efforts  is  service,  and 
the  better  we  serve  the  better  will  be  our 
standing  among  those  whom  we  serve. 

What  I want  particularly  to  leave  with  you 
is  the  feeling  of  sincerity  on  my  part  in  striv- 
ing to  better  your  positions  equally  with  that 
of  the  railroad. 

The  stronger  your  company  is,  the  better 
will  be  your  position  in  that  company, 
and  there  is  no  one  here  tonight  who  is  not 
desirous  of  being  connected  with  a good, 
strong,  thriving,  progressive  company  or 
institution,  regardless  of  the  fields  of  its  en- 
deavors. 

Did  it  ever  occur  to  you  what  happens  to 
an  industry  where  every  one  connected  with 
it  is  pulling  for  it.  is  thinking  how  they  can 
better  the  product — in  our  case  transporta- 
tion.— how  the  production  can  be  cheapened 
by  more  efficient  and  economical  work  of 
every  individual?  Did  it  ever  occur  to  you 
what  would  happen  to  our  railroad  if  every 


12 


one  of  the  207,000  were  doing  just  this? 
Think  it  over. 

In  your  lodge  you  are  a carefully  and 
strictly  governed  body  of  men.  Decisions,  un- 
doubtedly, have  to  be  made  from  time  to  time 
which  may  not  be  in  accord  with  the  ideas  of 
each  individual  member,  yet,  in  order  to  con- 
duct your  work  in  peace  and  harmony,  you 
must  all  be  amenable  to  the  rule  of  the  Wor- 
shipful Master. 

Do  es  that  not  teach  you  that  in  the  railroad 
world  by  the  adoption  of  the  same  principle 
the  greatest  good  can  be  accomplished?  If 
it  is  possible  to  conduct  the  business  of  your 
fraternity  for  thousands  of  years  on  that  prin- 
ciple, I should  like  to  have  every  member  of 
the  Masonic  Fraternity  working  on  this  rail- 
road go  out  among  his  fellow-employes  as  a 
missionary  in  the  cause  and  preach  that  same 
doctrine  of  fair  dealing  and  an  appeal  to 
reason. 


Interests  of  All  Considered 

Decisions  concerning  one  class  of  employes 
may  at  times  not  be  to  the  entire  satisfaction 
of  others.  Or  some  individuals  might  not  be 
exactly  satisfied  when  looking  at  the  matter 
from  their  own  personal  viewpoints. 

That  should  be  no  cause  for  immediately 
starting  to  foment  trouble  and  being  forever 
discontented.  Does  a Mason  act  that  way  in 
his  lodge  when,  for  instance,  the  Worshipful 
Master  rules  against  him?  I doubt  it. 
Rather,  I think  he  surely  must  have  a means 
of  appeal,  in  an  orderly  manner,  when  he  can 
make  his  case  known  in  all  detail.  If  this 
were  not  so,  you  could  not  continue  in  peace 
and  harmony  for  any  length  of  time. 

Why  then  should  it  be  necessary  to  assume 
a different  attitude  in  the  Railroad  Lodge? 


13 


We  have,  as  I have  just  stated,  a means  of 
appealing  from  decisions,  and  you  have  every 
assurance  from  the  management  that  equity 
and  justice  will  prevail  in  every  case.  In  fact, 
under  our  new  system  of  employe  representa- 
tion, you  have  within  your  own  power  the 
possibility  of  assisting  in  seeing  that  all  em- 
ployes are  satisfied  in  all  matters  concerning 
their  welfare. 

If  the  railroader  has  learned  his  work  in  the 
Railroad  Lodge  as  well  as  I understand  he 
must  his  Masonic  work,  he  will  readily  see  or 
must  surely  be  able  to  realize  that  when  the 
management  renders  a decision  bn  points  of 
discipline,  advancement,  conditions  of  employ- 
ment, or  wages  to  be  paid,  it  is  done  for  the 
good  of  the  entire  army  of  207,000  employes 
whose  welfare  the  management  must  at  all 
times  keep  in  mind. 

The  fact  that  your  fraternity  has  stood 
these  thousands  of  years  is  evidence  that  the 
underlying  principles  of  the  fraternity  are 
most  assuredly  sound  in  all  respects.  These 
every  Mason  knows,  as  he  must  be  thoroughly 
familiar  with  them  in  order  to  work  properly 
within  the  Lodge. 

That  being  the  case,  is  it  not  possible  for 
you  Masons  to  practice  outside  of  the  lodge 
rooms  what  you  are  instructed  in  within 
them  ? 

Masonic  Ideals  in  Railroading 

Cannot  the  Masons  on  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  System  form  a nucleus  for  injecting 
into  our  Railroad  Lodge,  either  directly  or  in- 
directly, that  “something”  which  has  been  so 
characteristic  of  your  Fraternity  ever  since 
the  days  of  King  Solomon? 

H e was  a wise  old  king,  and  the  high  ideals 
he  established  during  the  building  of  the 


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temple  at  Jerusalem,  which  have  been  passed 
on  down  to  you,  may  be  very  applicable  to 
our  work  today. 

If  they  maintained  throughout  ages  such  a 
high  standard  for  a body  of  men  who  call 
themselves  Masons,  surely  they  will  do  the 
same  for  a body  of  men  who  form  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad. 

Square  Deal  for  All  Assured 

Speaking  for  the  management,  I can  pledge 
you  my  word  that  each  and  every  one  from 
the  Board  of  Directors  and  the  President  on 
down  is  most  earnestly  and  sincerely  doing 
everything  within  his  power  to  establish  on 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  a scale  of  wages 
and  a standard  of  working  conditions  second 
to  none. 

The  management  wants,  above  everything 
else,  that  its  men  shall  have  a square  deal;  a 
square  deal  from  the  individual  supervisory 
officers,  a square  deal  from  the  Company  at 
large,  and  a square  deal  from  the  public  whom 
we  serve. 

A square  deal  must  be  deserved,  however, 
on  the  part  of  the  employe.  Regardless  of  his 
position,  it  can  be  but  only  through  his  taking 
renewed  interest  in  his  work. 

Your  Fraternity  stands  out  as  a shining 
light,  and  I earnestly  ask  that  you  assist  the 
management  in  making  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road System  stand  out  in  like  degree  above 
all  other  railroads  in  the  world. 


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